Palestinians in Gaza are reacting to a possible shift in the world's attention away from the Israel-Hamas ceasefire to a new regional conflict with Iran. Israel closed all crossings into the territory of over 2 million people in the wake of its new strikes on Tehran. The Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in Gaza said it closed the crossings because they cannot not be safely operated under fire. It said crossings would reopen as soon as the security situation allows. Palestinians fear new lack of access to food and other basic necessities from the outside world. Memories of hunger during last year's Israeli blockade remain fresh. The latest conflict comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump rallied billions of dollars in pledges for Gaza's reconstruction.

The world's leading authority on food crises says the spread of famine's been averted in the Gaza Strip. But they say the situation remains critical with the entire Palestinian territory facing starvation. The new report was issued on Friday by The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC. The report comes months after the IPC said that famine was occurring in Gaza City and was likely to spread across the territory. The report notes improvements in food security and nutrition following an October ceasefire and no famine has been detected. It warns the situation remains fragile. The IPC says all of Gaza will be classified an emergency with nearly 2,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger through April.

The military wing of Hamas says it will hand over the remains of a hostage late Friday. The Qassam Brigades did not say whose remains would be handed over, only that they were pulled out earlier in the day. It did not say where the remains will be handed over. In recent days, Hamas handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross the remains of nine hostages along with a 10th body that Israel said wasn't that of a hostage. As part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip, Hamas was supposed to hand over the remains of 28 hostages who were kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israelis are mourning the dead and fearing for the remaining hostages as they mark two years since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack plunged the region into a devastating war. Tuesday's commemorations come as Israel and Hamas hold indirect negotiations in Egypt. The main memorial ceremony is being organized by bereaved families. The government-organized memorial will be held according to the Jewish calendar next week. The rift reflects deep divisions over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, which many blame for the failure to secure a ceasefire that would free the hostages. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed tens of thousands and razed entire towns and cities in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims there is no hunger in Gaza, but malnourished children are regularly arriving at Nasser Hospital. The U.N. says starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. The Gaza Health Ministry says 171 people have died of malnutrition-related causes since July 1, a quarter of them children. Aid has increased in recent weeks, but food remains scarce or unaffordable for many. While the influx of food might help much of Gaza's population, experts say that is not necessarily the case for children who are already severely malnourished. They often require treatment first at a hospital, where vital micronutrients must be replenished before their bodies will be able to properly metabolize food.

The Gaza Health Ministry says the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 63,000 as Palestinians face the start of Israel's expanded offensive in Gaza City. The count does not distinguish between fighters and civilians killed in the 22-month war between Israel and Hamas. The ministry says five people have died from malnutrition-related causes over the past day, raising the toll to 322, including 121 children, since the war began. A military official says Israel intends to continue helping aid reach Gaza City during the offensive, but a U.N. humanitarian group fears "a horrific impact" on people already deprived of basic needs.

The director of the U.N. World Food Program says it's "very evident" after a visit to Gaza that there is not enough food and that mothers and children are starving. Cindy McCain, the program's executive director, tells The Associated Press that she spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and says he is "concerned" about the issue. International experts have declared a famine in Gaza City and say it is likely to spread without a ceasefire and the full restoration of humanitarian aid. Israel rejects the famine declaration and has called claims of starvation a propaganda campaign by Hamas.

The world's leading authority on food crises says the Gaza Strip's largest city is gripped by famine, and that it is likely to spread without an immediate ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said on Friday that famine is occurring in Gaza City and could spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month. This comes after months of warnings by aid groups that Israel's restrictions of food and other aid into Gaza, and its military offensive, were causing high levels of starvation among Palestinian civilians, particularly children. Israel called the report an "outright lie."

A key mediator on Gaza is stressing the urgency of brokering a ceasefire after Hamas showed a "positive response" to a proposal. But Israel has yet to weigh in as its military prepares an offensive on some of the territory's most populated areas. The prospect of an expanded assault on areas sheltering hundreds of thousands of civilians has sparked international outrage. Palestinians say nowhere is safe, and many Israelis fear for the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Qatar on Tuesday warned that even if a ceasefire deal is reached, it will not be "instantaneously implemented."

Hamas says it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza that would still need Israel's approval. Israel indicates its positions haven't changed. Gaza's Health Ministry meanwhile says the Palestinian death toll has passed 62,000 from 22 months of war. Israel announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas after ceasefire talks appeared to break down last month. Those plans have sparked international outrage and infuriated many Israelis who fear for the remaining hostages taken in the 2023 attack that sparked the war. A widened military offensive will worsen the humanitarian crisis.